Thursday, April 7, 2011

A couple weeks ago, during her spring break, I met with Chloe Castellon (C'11), a senior about to graduate from Penn looking for advice on how to navigate through the Hollywood job market using Penn alumni.

That week, Chloe was on a mission to take as many meetings as she could with Penn alumni in anticipation for her post graduation move out to LA.blush

After the jump, take a lesson from Chloe and find out how she scored 50 meetings with some of the most successful Penn alumni in the industry.

First, you may recall that Chloe did an awesome job blogging for us last year at Penn in Cannes 2010. She is not only about to graduate, but before she does, she's producing and directing her own short film. She wrote the short for film school applications, and recruited a crew of twenty five local professionals, film school students, and friends to produce it. She has been active at Penn, editing for F-word Feminist Literary Magazine, chairing publicity efforts for Penn's Consortium of Undergraduate Women, and currently acting as Director of Entertainment for UTV, Penn's television station. She is currently interning at Lionsgate, and is hoping to secure a job in the film business upon graduation.

In the the post below, Chloe identifies the various methods she has used to research and meet with Penn alumni. These tips are for both undergrads and alumni:

"There’s a common misconception that a Penn degree will do nothing for you if you want to work in film and entertainment. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s a big, fat lie. Out here in La La Land (and New York for that matter), there exists what people call the Penn Mafia, and you, my friends, are the wannabes. While you might not think ‘Sopranos’ when you think of Penn grads, there are a whole slew of industry professionals kicking ass and taking names, and best of all, they help each other and work together, just like any respectable mafia family.

I’m a girl from South Florida with little to no connections in the industry, but because of my Penn degree, when I came out to Los Angeles during my spring break I had *fifteen* meetings setup before I got here, and I have upwards of *thirty five* more set for when I move out here permanently.

So how do I get more than fifty coveted meetings with some of the most successful people in the industry, you ask? Well there are a couple of key resources at your disposal that all of you should know about.

1) The first, and most obvious considering you are already here, is the site 'Dueling Tampons'. In the words of M a t t R o s l e r himself this is “the Deadline of Penn alumni news in entertainment,” and if you don’t know what Deadline is, google it. Now. More than just Dueling Tampons, however, there is Matt, its creator. He is very well established within the Penn Mafia, and moreover he is able and willing to help you. So email him.

[blushing! thank you, Chloe! Find out how to use DT in your search HERE and be sure to join our facebook fan page HERE]
2) The second resource is PACNET. Pacnet can be found on Penn’s career services page, and it connects you with people who have explicitly agreed to either help get you a job, potentially hire you, or give you advice. Many of my most valuable mentors were found on Pacnet, and it’s an easy way to meet people because they are already a willing audience.

You should also check out similar Penn sites like Quakernet and other resources listed on the career services page; especially check out the past entertainment panels Career Services lists under entertainment, and try to contact those people through facebook.

3) The third resource is Penn’s entertainment programs and staff. Penn-in-Cannes is a program that will show you the time of your life, and introduce you to limitless contacts, both from Penn and outside of it.

Also (undergrads) join the Communications listserve because they require an internship as part of the major, and strangely they circulate info about film and entertainment internships much more than Cinema Studies.

The Cinema Studies department frequently holds events in which famous Penn-affiliated producers, writers, directors and other industry professionals come speak on campus and most times they give out contact info. Many Wharton, Cinema Studies, Communications, and Fine Arts professors have also been involved in the entertainment industry in the past, so it’s a good idea to sift through their websites and contact the ones who were.

4) The fourth and final (for now) resource you should look into is the variety of clubs and groups offered to Penn alumni. Once you move to L.A., you should join the Penn Club L.A. and go to events to network with other alumni; same goes for New York. You can also participate in Penn Fest (in the works now for summer of 2011!), a talent show which showcases the work of Penn filmmakers, musicians, and other creatives of the industry. Penntertainment is also a listserve you should get on which caters to Penn alumni in entertainment.

Once you’ve exhausted these resources and have wrangled yourself your own fifty meetings (and another thirty phone calls), all you have to do is make the most of that interview, something I’ll address in a future post. But remember, in the words of one of my mentors, “every call [and meeting] is a failure if you don’t leave with another contact.” In this business it’s all about who you know, and with your Penn degree you can come to know the Penn Mafia, some of the most powerful people in entertainment, and that is an offer you can’t refuse.

What They're Saying About This Site

"Keep up the DAMN good work. It's not until I'm about to graduate that I really start to appreciate other Penn alums who try to keep the network going with websites like Dueling Tampons and more. Keep it up!"
-Mike Tate (C'10)

"Just wanted to send a note to say thanks for your continued work w/ Dueling Tampons. it's one of the various e-news blasts I read most days. I really liked the one about '3 generations at Penn'."
-Jody Girgenti (C'98)

"As an outsider to the entertainment industry and to LA, DuelingTampons.com gave me an excellent jumping-off point to start my job search. It enabled me to learn about Penn alums in the entertainment industry and conduct necessary preliminary research. From there I was able to reach out to our incredible alumni network, schedule introductory meetings and phone calls, eventually land an interview, and finally secure an internship at a top Hollywood studio."
-Steve Gottlieb (C'04)

"By the way, Dueling Tampons may be one of the greatest names for a penn-related website!"
Andrew Erace (C'07)

"Whenever I'm looking to waste time on the internet, Dueling Tampons is at the top of my list right up there with the Onion, the Superficial, and Leverged Sell Out."
Scott Kend (C'02)

"I love what you are doing for Penn with this website. Keep it up!"
Adam El Sehamy (C'09)

"Thanks for doing your part to unify Penn through Dueling Tampons--it's already been a great resource, and I'm only an incoming freshman. I am truly looking forward to my next four years at Penn and beyond. Thanks again."
-Haywood L. Perry III (C'12)

"Just want to thank you for all you are doing re: DT. You've reenergized my feelings toward Penn and now I have a son who will be applying to Penn"
-Joan L. (W'80)

"Great site. I've really enjoyed everything I've come across since I first came across it. Keep up the good work."
-A.J. Cabrera (C'04)

"Great site —when I first came across it, it took me by surprise. I hadn't used the phrase DT in years, you totally made me laugh. Thanks for that."
-Jason Seiden (W'95)

"I got all misty-eyed looking at the Dueling Tampons site. I mean it gave me sense memory of Penn... of the Walk when it was cold, or being in McNeill with Abiel, or being in German class, or taking 20 extra minutes to get to class because of seeing everyone I knew on Locust Walk, or people that sat in my classes that are now really famous or important... just a great site"
-Chris Hartwell (C'95)

"Love you website..! Very fun to read - I cannot believe what alums (that are WAY younger than us) are accomplishing...very cool...!"
-Dorie Clayman (C'96)

"Thank you for your website. I've not been in touch with Penn for YEARS, am speaking at the Bookstore and they wrote to me about Dueling Tampons. I've spent the afternoon going around inside it. so thank you!"
Michael Rosen

"Hey, I'll be entering Penn in the Fall as a '12 student. Just trying to get a feel for the campus before I come and Dueling Tampons seems like it has got a big place on campus."
-Eric Jacob Maltiel (SEAS'12)

"I love the way you are reaching out to Penn alums and this site...keep up the good work"
-Jennifer Merves Robbins (C'92)

"I just found dueling tampons, and im hooked. i had no idea so many alum do what i want to do when i grow up!"-Danielle Hannah (C'03)

"Dueling Tampons has an AWESOME reputation on campus here, and I see you and your site everywhere!"
-Matt Amalfitano (C'11)

"Your site's a great way to keep up with Penn stuff with a laugh. Thanks."
-David Toturgul (C'99)

"What you do on Dueling Tampons I think really provides many Penn students with inspiration for their future careers, as I know it has done with me."
-Ryan Townsend (C'08)

"I really like all the Penn stuff, makes me feel at home... I had a good laugh at the name of the website, it only took me a split second to get it!"
-Dan Gutin (C'97)